Even though the Papu tribes consider that the God of the 'whites' is not above their own deities, the coastal inhabitants underwent the Catholic missionaries' strong influence from the early 20th century, unlike the people living in the more isolated inland and marshland. This is evidenced by the cross replacing the traditional necklaces of feathers, bones or teeth around the neck of this little boy. His briefs and polystyrene 'boat' are other signs of the evolution of these societies.